Nothing sums up the Wizards season so far quite like last night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, where Bradley Beal scored a career-high 60 points but the Wizards still lost 141-136. The team was down by as much as 21 points during the third quarter, but couldn’t come back despite a run early in the fourth quarter.
Beal tied the franchise record for most points in a single game, joining Gilbert Arenas. An impressive feat, but considering Beal was sitting at 57 entering the fourth quarter, it’s a bit disappointing that his scoring output fell off in the final frame.
But complaining about Beal’s offensive production in any context is just petty. The Wizards, now 2-6 on the season, have plenty of problems and Beal is one of the few positives.
It doesn’t take much investigating to understand what the main problems are in Washington: The defense is borderline nonexistent and coach Scott Brooks hasn’t seemed to figure out his best lineups.
The lack of defense isn’t new; the Wizards have been a bottom-tier defensive team for what seems like years now, and that wasn’t going to magically change in one offseason, even if these are Wizards.
Though the sample size is limited, the Wizards currently have the worst defense in the league (122.9 points allowed per game), which negates their top-end scoring of 120.8 points scored per game, second behind the Milwaukee Bucks. The trend was similar last season, which proves the major additions from this offseason have yet to right the ship.
Biggest among the additions was Russell Westbrook, the former MVP who arrived to DC in the blockbuster trade that sent John Wall and a protected 2023 first-round pick to Houston. Westbrook has been the same triple-double machine that he always has been, but that has not translated to wins.
This isn’t entirely his fault; he drives the offense, getting countless buckets by driving to the hoop and kicking the ball out to open shooters when he can. His rebounding prowess also slightly helps on the defensive end. Still, he is not a great defensive player and inexplicably continues to hoist up threes in the waning minutes of the game.
The point guard has gained the nickname “West-brick” among some fans due to his relatively poor shooting numbers, and that trend has also continued into this season. Taking an open three while down five in the middle of the second quarter is one thing, but to see Westbrook taking semi-contested shots from long range during crunch time is inexcusable.
Obviously opposing defenses will only give so many good looks during a possession, but Westbrook should be one of the last players shooting from long range late in the game. Problem is, he constantly finds himself in that position due to how often the ball is in his hands. Westbrook operates best when driving to the basket, and yet there have been numerous occasions late in close games where he’s pulling up from behind the arc and essentially giving the ball back to the other team.
That said, it also doesn’t help that one of the players Westbrook should be kicking it out to is struggling as well. Davis Bertans was second on the team in scoring last season in a breakout year. He was a top five three-point shooter league-wide and was the team’s highest priority signing this offseason.
But it’s been a rough start for the Latvian Laser in a pretty avoidable way, which makes it all the more frustrating. Bertans sat out the NBA Bubble this summer.
Ok sure, he wants to conserve his value going into free agency without risking injury. Smart, no beef there.
He got the contract he desired: a five-year/$80 million deal keeping him in DC for the foreseeable future.
A little hefty, yes, but a necessary re-signing for a team that doesn’t attract major free agents. He is such a big part of the offense, it would be impossible to replace in the near future.
During the preseason, Brooks held him out for all but the final game.
Ok… I feel like he could have used some of those in-game reps, but then again most of the veterans were held out. I trust Brooks and Bertans to do the right thing here.
Bertans is shooting just 32.8 percent from three after connecting at a 42+ percent clip each of the past two seasons. Again, the sample size is low, but all you hear from Wizards color commentator Drew Gooden on broadcasts is that Bertans is “still working back into game shape” and is “not yet at 100 percent.”
Uh, seriously?
What do you think the preseason is for, Scott Brooks? If he still needed time to get back up to speed, why did he sit in two out of three of the tune-up games. Now we’re losing games in part because the guy we rely on for consistent long-range shooting is bricking shots in crucial situations.
Defense is the main kryptonite for this Wizards team, but the weak shooting from Bertans (and Westbrook) has also been killer. I blame Brooks and Bertans equally for his specific situation.
Looking more positively toward a couple other newcomers, rookie Deni Avdija and 28-year-old guard Raul Neto have been two bright spots on the team so far. Neto is getting plenty of playing time off the bench, and by one metric, he has been among the team’s best two-way players.
Avdija, meanwhile, is not scoring a ton, but continues to progress as a legitimate NBA starter. According to NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes, Avdija has the highest net rating of anyone on the team so far this season:
Net rating essentially measures how a specific player impacts their team (i.e. does the team play better or worse when said player is in the game?) Avdija still has plenty of room to improve, but the early returns have been promising. His off-ball defense is as good as advertised, and in time the rest of his game should catch up as well.
As for the other young players, Rui Hachimura continues to prove his importance to the team despite working back from his preseason pink eye absence. Thomas Bryant, entrenched as the starting center, has taken a real step forward offensively, benefitting from Westbrook’s presence. However, his defense remains flawed and is holding him back from reaching an even higher level.
Isaac Bonga is one of the better defensive players on the team, but he’s such a disaster with the ball in his hands that he can’t be relied on for consistent minutes.
Speaking of Bonga, Brooks seems to not have any real idea about what to do with the young bench players on this roster. Bonga, 21, was starting in Hachimura’s absence to begin the season, but has now played just once (for five minutes) in the past four games.
Troy Brown Jr., the 21-year-old former first-round pick, has seen his minutes dwindle with each game and has now sat out each of the past two contests. Moe Wagner and Jerome Robinson, both 23, have seen inconsistent playing time as well. None of these guys have played well enough to warrant major minutes, but at the same time, this constant lineup shuffling is preventing the team from establishing an identity.
It’s a double-edged sword; obviously if things aren’t working, changes have to be made to the lineup, but too much experimentation can be detrimental to the team and the individual players’ development.
None of these young players were ever going to be superstars, and a short preseason doesn’t help matters, but it’s clear Brooks still doesn’t know what to do with this roster, and it will soon be too late if he ever finds out. Can the Wizards turn it around and find a way to sneak into a bottom playoff spot? They certainly have the pieces, but until they execute, there could be a high-lottery pick in this team’s near future.
Cover Photo Credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
The Wildcard 